As Oregon’s May 20 primary draws near, the pace of election news picks up. Topping the list: Polls, negative campaign ads and a strange twist of fate in the governor’s race.

POLLS: A statewide survey for Oregon Public Broadcasting attracted a lot of attention because it showed clear voter discontent with incumbent Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat. About half the voters said he should not be re-elected. In a head-to-head match with Republican Dennis Richardson, Kitzhaber leads by 12 percentage points.

ADS: Wehby appears confident enough that she bought TV ads attacking not Conger, her opponent of the moment, but incumbent Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, whom she hopes to challenge in the November general election.

CPR: Kitzhaber interrupted a barrage of bad press early in the week when he came to the aid of a woman who had collapsed in the street after a heroin overdose. The governor, a former emergency room doctor, helped restore the woman’s breathing.